Maret football drops Mid-Atlantic Conference opener at Potomac School

Maret, shown here in a game against Roosevelt, dropped its Oct. 14 game to Potomac. (Brian Kapur/The Current/November 2016)

Maret lost highly touted lineman Davonte Gordon to injury against Severn School on Oct. 6 — leaving the Frogs shorthanded on the edge of the offensive line at tackle and on the defensive front’s interior line.

In Maret’s Mid-Atlantic Conference opener at Potomac School on Saturday, the Frogs couldn’t overcome the absence of the future Wake Forest Demon Deacon and fell 14-7. The offense wasn’t able to get on track for most of the afternoon, while the Panthers’ defense constantly broke through the Frogs’ makeshift offensive line.

On one play, Maret showed why it came into this season as the defending MAC champions. Senior running back Jamal Glenn ripped off a 53-yard touchdown in the first half to score first and give the Frogs a 7-0 lead.

While the Maret offense often struggled to move the ball, the team’s defense kept the game close. Ultimately, though, Gordon’s absence on the interior proved insurmountable. The Panthers tied the game late in the first half on a goal-line run through the middle of the Frogs’ line — a spot that Gordon would have occupied.

The Panthers took the lead for good with 8:35 to go in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Maret will look to bounce back in league play when it celebrates homecoming by hosting its biggestrival Sidwell at Duke Ellington Field at 4 p.m. Friday.